Sr. Theresa Kane Strikes Again!

Speaking in Chicago in late July, Mercy Sister Theresa Kane condemned the Vatican's absolute prohibition against the ordination of women. She called "male Catholic leaders, many of them bishops and pastors . . . culturally ignorant and culturally impotent regarding the presence, the potential, the human aspirations of women to be adult, mutual co-responsible collaborators."

It was Kane who caused an international stir in 1979 when she publicly addressed Pope John Paul II during his first visit to the U.S. "As women we have heard the powerful message of our church addressing the dignity and reverence of all persons," she said ". . . Our contemplation leads us to state that the church in its struggle to be faithful to its call for reverence and dignity for all persons must respond by providing the possibility of women as persons being included in all ministries of the church [including priesthood]."

The pope was not pleased.

Pressure for women priests has been mounting in the 31 years since. Polls in recent years report as high as 65 percent of Catholics favoring removal of the ban.

At the Chicago event, which was held for Catholic liturgists at the InterContinental Hotel at O'Hare, Kane said: "Many women have already moved out of traditional Sunday worship. Other women have begun very courageous, strong, alternative liturgies, which we believe are valid, mystic, pastoral, spiritual, all the qualities that are needed for the human soul. . . . Maybe it is the beginning of a new church. Maybe this is how we have to look at Pentecost. . . . To continue in an exclusively male priesthood is in my judgment both a form and expression of idolatry."

As an example of clerical arrogance, she noted that when a group of sisters in the Midwest were planning an assembly at their motherhouse, they invited the local bishop to attend and celebrate Mass. "The bishop wrote back and said it must be in a parish church and not at the motherhouse, you must have altar boys come to assist me, and no sister may carry the cross in the procession," reported Kane, adding that the sisters decided not to have a Mass.

Theresa Kane's words came in the midst of an outpouring of alarm and rage among many Catholics after the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, also in July, put the "attempted" ordination of women in the same category as the sexual abuse of minors. Both were called "egregious" violations of the moral law and much more serious than other sins. That the determination of women to serve the church as equals would be placed on the same level of evil as the violation of children struck many as an indication of how out of touch Vatican leaders are with reality, not to mention common sense.

Sisters Dare to Oppose Catholic Bishops: What Next?

Here is a short piece in Chicago Catholic News about the mutiny that occurred when the Catholic Health Assn. took issue with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the health reform  bill in the Senate. Speaking for the conference, Cardinal George said the bill must be defeated, since it would permit public money for abortions. The association said that he and the bishops were wrong, that the bill would not expand abortions. And when the health bill passed, George indicated the association, its leader, and its substantial membership of Catholic nuns were responsible. He was quite offended and said so. I think the dispute says something important about the credibility of the hierarchy in these interesting times, as well as the gutsiness of the sisters. You will find the story right here.

Pro-lifers Threaten Campaign for the Poor

Below there's a link to an article I wrote for the July issue of US Catholic magazine. It reports on the history of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and discusses the siege the Campaign is under from a coalition of right-wing groups. During the past 40 years the Campaign, through a yearly collection in every parish in the country, has raised some $400 million to support community organizations at work in poor and minority towns and neighborhoods. The coalition, called Reform CCHD Now, is gravely concerned that some of the community organizations in some of their projects (not supported by the Campaign) endorse birth control, abortion or homosexual rights. They also resent the fact that some recipients of Campaign funds were originally founded by the late organizer Saul Alinsky, a non-Catholic with Socialist tendencies. It is of course a fact that Alinsky worked hand-in-glove with many activist priests, including Chicago's Fr. jack Egan, to battle systemic racism and poverty. You can find the article here.

Elder Hostile: Judgment on those who defy Church "cannot be made lightly -- or too soon"

The funeral service of a female Catholic priest drew non-judgmental attention from Chicago media in late May, but internet versions  of the accounts attracted intense reactions from two mutually opposed sides. One group expressed anger that the Chicago Archdiocese had denied Janine Denomme’s wish to be buried from her own church, St. Gertrude’s on  the north side. Meanwhile, another and larger group of respondents declared that the deceased woman got what she deserved, since she had been excommunicated for “attempting” to receive a sacrament reserved only for men. None among the large group of mourners, many from St. Gertrude’s, seemed to be offended by her status. I attended the mass, which was uplifting and inspirational, and I could not help but think of other women long before Janine Denomme who challenged the official church in profound ways and paid a penalty. Some are saints or well on their way to sainthood. I wrote an article about the event which you can read at Chicago Catholic News.

Elder Hostile

I have just completed a book on Fr. Michael Pfleger, the Radical Disciple who has headed St. Sabina Church in Chicago for almost 30 years. It will be published in the fall, and frankly, I would like to arouse a general interest in this man and his work even beyond the two existing throngs, one of which considers him a saint while the other regards him as the incarnation of all evil. Here's a column I wrote on the subject that was posted recently on Chicago Catholic News. Feel free to post comments here  -  Full column at Chicago Catholic News

In The Beginning

Unbelievably, I am starting a blog which will deal with issues of current interest. The title (see above) clearly reveals the deep and penetrating thoughts that will be found regularly in the blog. Anyone who doesn't understand what the blog title means may consult the Book of Exodus. If that doesn't make it sufficiently clear, hopefully future entries will enlighten, inspire and even provoke.